Updated 9:17 am, Friday, May 11, 2012

DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES - "With So Little to Be Sure Of" - Susan discovers that Mike had been hiding a secret from her for years; Bree attempts to hire a high-powered attorney (Scott Bakula) when she becomes the prime suspect in the murder of Gaby's stepfather; Gaby discovers a sexy way to earn a bigger commission at her new job as a personal shopper; and while Lynette continues to try and win Tom back, girlfriend Jane does everything in her power to ensure that the two carry through with their divorce, on "Desperate Housewives," SUNDAY, APRIL 1 (9:01-10:01 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network. (ABC/RON TOM) RICARDO ANTONIO CHAVIRA, EVA LONGORIA

“It's been a great training ground for what's to come,” Chavira, who graduated from the University of the Incarnate Word, elaborated over a beer in a Pasadena, Calif., hotel bar. “Before this, I hadn't done a TV show where I was working on every episode several times a week for eight years. It gave me an education on how to work in front of the camera, on a major set like this.”

His No. 1 priority these days is being a good husband to his wife, Marcea Dietzel, and father to his two kids, Belen Elysabeth, 3, and Tomas Antonio, 9.

“I love being in San Antonio — away from all this.”

Some of “all this” is the media attention that goes hand-in-hand with Hollywood success. When not at work on “Housewives,” he said, “I'm jumping on a plane and going home. I go to my kids' games, take them to practice. I've made it known that when I'm in San Antonio and with my family, leave me alone. I don't want to talk about my work or take a photo.”

He clearly feels camaraderie with longtime male co-stars Doug Savant and James Denton; the two clowned around with him at the bar. He also said he loves “Eva to death; she's like a little sister to me.”

However, “Desperate Housewives,” in the last few years, has become “more of a job than anything else,” he said.

He spoke of “unflattering” story lines written for his character. Over the seasons, Carlos has gone to prison, become blind, divorced and a drunk.

“They've put him through the wringer,” Chavira said.

The most recent development, putting Carlos in rehab and away from the main action for several weeks, was actually a welcome one, he said.

“I've had a lot of time off, have gotten stuff done on my property in Texas,” he said.

During the show's run, Chavira has landed movie parts (“Piranha”) and guest roles in TV series such as “Monk.” However, nothing causes his eyes to light up like the mention of a play he did in the summer of 2010.

“Working on the Guthrie main stage in Minneapolis playing Stanley Kowalski in ‘A Streetcar Named Desire' — that's a list-scratcher,” said Chavira, 40. “Of all the things I've done in the past 10 years, that is what I'm most proud of.”

As for life after “Housewives,” Chavira said he plans to embark on some personal adventures: “I want to take a 10-day motorcycle ride ... climb Kilimanjaro.”

He also wants to focus more on renovating Taco Land, which he purchased last year with San Antonio developer David Adelman, a friend from his Lee High School days.

Down the line, he would welcome another series — preferably one that films in Texas, so he can be close to family. However, it would have to be the right series.

“I don't want to do another nighttime soap opera,” he said adamantly, “another show that's estrogen heavy. I want horses, hand grenades, mud, bullets, guts, sweat, crime. If that means I don't work for a while, then that's what it means. I'm in a position where now I can say I don't want to do that.”

On the other hand, he added, smiling, “I'm also not an idiot; if they're offering me the same amount of money ...”